The Netball Super League leaders Loughborough Lightning bounced back from their first loss of the season with a gritty 76-60 win over bottom-placed Birmingham Panthers on Friday night.
Image source, Tara St Clair
Image caption, Loughborough Lightning were nine games unbeaten before being defeated by London Pulse last week
After suffering a 100% record-breaking defeat to defending champions London Pulse last weekend, Lightning now sit four points clear at the top of the NSL table, with Pulse set to face Manchester Thunder on Saturday. The Thunder trail Lightning by six points in third place.
Birmingham Panthers made a spirited start, leading at the end of the first two quarters and taking a two-point advantage into halftime. However, Lightning regrouped after the break, pulling four goals ahead by the start of the fourth quarter before dominating the final 15 minutes to seal the victory in the round 11 clash at Coventry Skydome.
Panthers’ Betsy Creak was the top scorer with 35 goals, also adding four rebounds. Lightning shooter Samantha Wallace-Joseph contributed 33 goals, while teammate Ella Clark was named player of the match. Wallace-Joseph, 32, now leads the NSL scoring charts this season with 339 goals.
Lightning’s next match is against fourth-placed Nottingham Forest on May 15, which will be broadcast live on the BBC Sport website, app, and iPlayer. Forest face fifth-placed London Mavericks on Saturday, also live on the BBC, with just six points separating the two sides in the race for a top-four finish and a playoff spot to determine this season’s champion.